I don't have a goal as far as environment, species specific or otherwise.
I plan to stay predominantly with Soft Corals and some (few) LPS.
Along with a few "target fish" I plan to keep.
I currently have
FISH
2 x Yellow tailed Damsels (Ike and Tina)
Mated Pair of GSM (Benny and Joon)
inverts
Cleaner Shrimp (Rambo)
3 x Peppermint Shrimp (Larry, Darryl and Darryl)
Sally Lightfoot Crab (Sally)
Strawberry Crab (Strawberry Shortcake)
Corals
10" x 8" Neon GSP Colony
6" x 4" Galaxia Coral
3 headed Torch Coral
and My Big ole Green BTA
All of these, with possibly the exception of the BTA, are much more tolerant to neglect and swings in parameters than SPS, and although I have powerful lighting, alot of water volume and the resources to do it, I don't really have a love jones for SPS anyway. I enjoy celebrating others' successes with these animals.
There is plenty of color, and variety in Soft Corals, and in Large Polyp Stonies to keep me interested.
As for getting yourself acclimated, it's important to remember that everyone's experience is unique. There is alot to be gained, mind you, by paying attention to what you read, and asking lots of questions helps.
However, don't get hard and set on the idea that "Oh My Gawd, Marc's Params are 79.9 degree's, 8.3 PH, 460 Calcium and 800 Watts of 12k Metal Halide" I MUST be doing something wrong.
As I said, everyone's experience is unique, and until you observe and understand what your tank is doing, in your home, you have no idea how to approach it, at least not realistically.
Case in point, I have had an issue with slime algae and hair algae for going on 3 months. Not an invasive issue, but a nuisance. It all started with a weekend I went out of town, and came back to find hair growing on my LocLine and Powerheads . After that a lot of busy work travel, and before you know it, I am 6-7 weeks out from my last 20Gallon water change.
What did I do ? I fished as much of it out as I could, and waited. And waited, and waited. It's just like moss, seaweed, kelp, grass, weeds, its just going to grow back if conditions persist. So rather than waste a bunch of test kits finding out my Nitrates are 25 - 30, and my water temp is swinging 4-degrees a day...I wait
Then, waddya know, it starts growing on the glass, and in crevices. So I fished it out again...
and waited, and waited.
And then I started seeing these little slimey turds on my sand bed, and they were bubbly, and gross, and were difficult to get out without breaking into little pieces to get blown around.
So, I turned off my Powerheads, turned off my skimmer, and broke out a stainless strainer and proceeded to skim the sandbed, like you would a swimming pool.
Now what I am getting at is there are a dozen folks, who'll give you a dozen ways to approach this. From "buy xxx kind of shrimp/crab/fish" to, buy this super duper $600 skimmer.
I had narrowed it down myself however, and realized that it wasn't equipment or livestock related, it was the two things plants need to live. Light and Nutrients. So, deprive the algae of light, and nutrients, and you deprive it of the chance to "live" in your aquarium.
This may sound like common sense but so many of us try to throw hardware and livestock at problems that can be easily corrected by paying attention and taking a "wait and see" approach.
As has been iterated several times "NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS FAST".
Now, moving on, I have changed very little equipment wise on this setup.
I recently replaced my skimmer with a newer / better model just because the old one flat wasn't skimming.
I had a reef devil powered by a Mag-7 pump and it was just inconsistent, hard to tune, and if there was any change whatsoever in salinity or temperature it went nutso. Not to mention it took up valuable real estate in my sump. I will never again use a skimmer that isn't needlewheel, mesh or otherwise capable of using something like a Sedra-5000.
Skimming has Zero, IMO, to do with "volume of water" it's "how you make the bubbles"..
Other than that, It's identical to the day I filled it with water. My equipment list is in my sig.
So as far as issues and how I have addressed them.
1.) Algae and Slime issue, well, you know that answer.
2.) Temperature swing issue.
a.) set my AC Jr. to cut the halides off if the tank gets to 82.6 or above, and turn them back on once it drops to 81.
b.) bought a chiller, to prepare for this coming summer, as my tank is in my formal dining room, in the front of the house which faces east.
3.) Nutrient Issues - It's difficult to meter your feedings for everyone in the tank. I have an issue with thawing cubes, or silversides and leaving them in the fridge to stink up the place, so I only thaw what I need. On occasion I over feed. But that's just me. Buying a better skimmer is an insurance policy against my overfeeding as once it gets into the sump by way of the overflows, it gets skimmed out.
I have also made a habit of redirecting my powerheads, ever so slightly, once or twice a week, to change up the current, and keep detritis suspended so that it has a chance to get whisked into the sump. My tank has two megaflows. They are centered about 8" from the sides of the tank so there is a 16" section in the middle of my tank where there's little to no flow. I aim a powerhead back here every so often to blow the dirt, food, poo, etc. toward the overflow.
I guess that's about it. By no means am I an officianado as the majority of what I have learned has been thru T&E and reading this message board.
I can tell anyone however, a few things I consider "set in stone".
1.) If you have a tank larger than 29G, BUY AN RO/DI UNIT. It makes life so much simpler. It doesn't have to be hooked up all the time. And you'd be hard pressed to pay more than $100 used for a decent unit. It affords you the ability to make your own verifiable "pure" top off water, and it allows you the luxury of being able to make a batch of salt water in a hurry in the event you have a catastrophe.
I know this to be true. I spent a year going back and forth to Neptunes, and DNA to get water for my 90, and it was a PITA.
2.) Learn to cure rock and cycle a tank. If you are thinking of starting a large tank, get some good quality rock, or a mix of base and live rock, and cure it in your own saltwater. It's a valuable learning tool. You get to know the smells, the look, then timing, etc of the nitrogen cycle. You also get to experience the satisfaction of looking at it once it's all crusted with critters, and coraline and think to yourself "man, I DID that."
Do the environment a favor and DON'T go run out and buy a Peppermint Shrimp to battle your Aiptaisia or a Blenny to fix your Hair Algae issues.
Q: Is there a place for these "target" critters when it comes to managing the ups and downs of reef ecology, sure...But don't use them as a swiss army knife to combat issues which are commonly caused by a.) poor purchasing decisions b.) neglect of your tank c.) bad luck.
If you get infested rock, you'll get Aiptaisia, Majano's, Bristles, and other nuisance pests.
If you go away for a week, and come back to find your neighbor overfed the whole time, you will have a nutrient surplus...Make a habit of doing a water change when you return from trips, or anytime someone other than YOU has been maintaining your tank. A 5-10 gallon water change on a 120 is no big deal, and should not impact your inhabitants when done correctly.
If you dump a whole tub of ReefCalc in your tank, yes it is going to snow, so make sure you followed my "set in stone" and start making water cuz you're going to need it.
Examining and learning the causes for common issues is going to provide not only you, but your little slimy inhabitants with a life full of enjoyment.
Use the sticky's and the search function and by all means ask those Reef Studs on the board. But look at your tank, pick a favorite corner and learn it. Use it as a barometer for how things are going.
I have a little spot right between my Galaxia and my GSP that fluctuates from bright orange/pink to deep purple. I can tell when my PH is low, and/Or when my ALK is low because this spot will change colors almost daily. I only know this because I have seen my ALK go to 7 or even as low as 6, and this little spot changes...Buffer my ALK back up and it turns bright purple and pink. See it turning lavender or brown, check my Alk or my PH and BAM, 7.8 and 7.....
Some things, you just gotta see, to believe.
Later taters, and thanks for looking. I will post updates once I get things cleaned up a bit.
BTW: I will have some GSP frags this weekend if anyone is interested in trading. I am looking for 2 headed hammer(s), Mushrooms, or silver dollar sized Ric frags.
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Looking good!